


Birthday Present

by notjustmom



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Established Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, M/M, birthday fic, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-11-23 11:49:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11401824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notjustmom/pseuds/notjustmom
Summary: A birthday fic for my birthday sister. Yes, another one, this was the first one I wrote for you, but wanted to save it for the day. :) xoxox





	Birthday Present

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NovaNara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovaNara/gifts).



"What's up?" Molly asked, without looking up from her latest dictation, as Sherlock sighed for the third time in fifteen minutes.

"What would make you think -?" Sherlock tried to pretend there was something of some importance that required his attention on the slide he wasn't really examining, but gave up when he looked up to see 'the look' Molly would give him when he was being an idiot. "Right. Uhm. Well. As you may recall, it's John's birthday tomorrow..." Sherlock stepped back from the instrument and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Anddddd?" Molly sighed as she knew it would take a while to get to whatever it was Sherlock was overthinking about. Probably the birthday present issue -

"Yes, well. As you know, traditionally I seem to have some difficulty in selecting appropriate gifts for John's birthday, some might say, in fact, that they miss the mark completely. We can agree upon this fact, yes?"

Molly nodded as she saved her notes, then closed her laptop, to give him her full attention. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed John at the door, he had gone out for coffee, and was back sooner than Sherlock had expected. It must be something big if his internal chronometer was this off. He always seemed to know how long John took to do anything...she took a breath as if about to speak and saw John shake his head with a slight smile, she winked at him and waited for Sherlock to go on.

"For instance, the paper where I determined through observation and deduction, that all of his friends hated him -"

"Yeah, I think that was his personal favourite." Molly studied a chipped nail and tried to hide her amusement.

"Ah, yes, sarcasm - right. And then there was the year I made him his own sock index, or tried to, at least, but it's quite difficult to make an index with white tube socks and black dress socks...I did try to make him see that it wouldn't kill him to try other colours..." Sherlock sat back down on the stool and studied his fingers.

"I remember - he came into the lab muttering about a certain flat mate not respecting boundaries and how socks were just socks..." She watched John bite his lip and roll his eyes, with the humour that had served him so well over the years."You have to admit the socks you picked out did clash with his jumpers."

"Yes, yes." Sherlock stood up and paced for a moment, then shrugged, sighed heavily and dropped back down onto the stool, his shoulders slumped resigned to failure. "You see, this is why I hesitate -" He put his hand into his pocket and drew out an ornate box; he held it in his hand for a moment before placing it gingerly on the counter, first checking for any contaminants. Molly drew in a sharp breath, then managed to peek at John, whose eyes had popped open in surprise. Molly shook her head and mouthed 'idiot' at him. He smiled uncertainly and nodded at her. "Please. Molly, I trust your judgment implicitly, well, other for the fact you continue to associate with me - and include me amongst your lengthy list of friends -"

"Sherlock...."

"Never mind. Just please, let me know what you think, if it's too much, too soon."

"Sherlock, you've known John how long now?"

"Eight years, three months..."

"Yes, okay, over five years, and he even stayed at Baker Street once you -"

"Quite."

"May I?"

"Please, if you think it's too - hmm - sentimental - I even had it...inscribed..." He mumbled the last word, so Molly could barely hear him as she opened the box. She covered her mouth with trembling fingers as she lifted the gold band, modeled after a Celtic knot, intricate and fragile, yet strong. Tears sprang to her eyes as she read aloud the tiny etched words: "My heart beats only for you." She laid the ring back into the box and walked over to Sherlock, placing it gently into his large hand. "Too much, I knew it. Ah, well - I appreciate your honesty, Molly. Back to the drawing board." He bent his head down and was about to return the box to his pocket, when John finally entered the room. He put the tray of now long cold coffee onto the counter, and knelt before Sherlock.

"Damn it, you idiot, ask me?"

"John?"

"Ask me, give me, give us a chance?"

"I wanted it to be for your birthday - I - I was afraid I - I didn't think you would want to -" Sherlock stopped, and looked into John's eyes. "You heard me, all of it, didn't you - yes, of course you did, and -" He looked up to see Molly pretending to be busily working on her notes. "You knew he was there - never mind, it couldn't matter less. Hell, I always manage to screw up your birthday present, maybe it's better that I give it to you, that I ask you today -"

John shook his head. "It was my fault. I asked her not to let you know I was there - I wanted to know, how you felt, I mean, I know how you feel, I've always known, but, I wanted to hear you. You are always so confident, so sure of yourself, to know that you feel so strongly about me that you are unsure -"

"You want me to be unsure?"

"No. I'm saying this badly, maybe this might help. I wanted to wait for the right moment, here in the place we met, is as good as any, and since I'm already down here kneeling." He pulled out a box from his trouser pocket, and opened it with shaky fingers. "Sherlock Holmes - will you do me the honour of becoming my husband?"

Sherlock blinked down at him for a moment, then glared at Molly and whispered, "You knew -"

Molly shook her head as she tried to stop the tears from finally overflowing, but failed. "I didn't I swear, I didn't, Sherlock. Give him an answer, you idiot."

"He knows my answer - but, for formality's sake: Yes, John Watson, I will be your husband. Yes."

"Yes?"

Sherlock nodded and kissed John's forehead. "Yes, of course, yes."

John bit his lip and took Sherlock's hand in his, kissing his knuckles before he slid the ring onto Sherlock's finger.

"Yes."

"But, I haven't even asked yet -'

John shook his head. "It's what I had written on your ring. My answer will always be yes."


End file.
